Holiday apartment in Carona: discover mountains, trails and culture

Carona combines alpine trails, lakes, historical traces and activities for both active and relaxing days away. If you choose a holiday apartment in Carona as your base, you can plan anything from hikes to mountain huts and walks by the water to winter sports and cultural discoveries.

Holiday apartment in Carona for hiking trails and active days

Sentiero 210 connects Carona with Rifugio F.lli Calvi. The walking time is three hours there and two hours back; for hiking, the trail is classified as difficulty E. From Lago del Prato, Sentiero 224 leads to Rifugio F.lli Longo, with a walking time of one hour and 15 minutes there and 50 minutes back, also rated difficulty E. Sentiero 247 leads from Pagliari to Baita della Capra: the outward and return journeys take one hour and 45 minutes and one hour and 15 minutes respectively.

From Pagliari, Sentiero 247 crosses the Brembo, runs through woodland to Baita della Capra and continues along Sentiero 210 towards Rifugio F.lli Calvi. Carona also has several mountain-bike routes, particularly to the numerous mountain huts in the surrounding area. There are also opportunities for walks along an agricultural and forestry track through coniferous forests and beside Lago di Carona. A path along the Brembo leads from the Botanical Garden to waterfalls and exceptionally clear water. Brown trout, marble trout and Arctic char are found in Lago di Carona, the Brembo river and numerous alpine lakes in the area.

There are also specific activities away from longer trails: the natural climbing wall La Corna has routes rated from 6a to 7c. The riding stable in Piana–Carona di Sotto offers riding lessons for children and adults. This allows you to combine different daily rhythms when planning accommodation, without committing to just one outdoor activity.

Orientation and accessible paths

The Sentiero naturalistico e osservatorio has a paved surface, protective barriers with handrails and a guide rail to help blind visitors find their way. The Botanical Garden can be reached via an accessible footpath from the car park on Via Pagliari; along the way, the path crosses the Brembo over an old arch bridge. The garden is fully equipped for wheelchair users and blind visitors. The Sala Bouldering is on the ground floor, has safety systems and is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Along the Lungo-Lago path, there are tables, areas for sunbathing and children's play areas with climbing elements made of blocks. The path is accessible to people with motor and sensory disabilities. These different path and recreational options can help you choose a holiday apartment based on whether you are planning varied activities, short walks or excursions that are easy to navigate.

Mountain landscape, winter and local history

Rifugio Mirtillo can be reached from Carona by chairlift. Valle Carisole is known for winter sports. Rifugio F.lli Longo can be reached on foot, by bicycle or by Jeep shuttle; it was open continuously from mid-June to mid-September. Pagliari is a small, rural hamlet about 1 km from Carona, on the road to Rifugi Calvi and Longo. The settlement lies at an altitude of 1,350 m and features exposed walls made of local stone and characteristic slate roofs.

The area of the rock carvings in Carona includes numerous engraved boulders at elevations between 2,100 and 2,450 m above sea level. The CMS 1 rock in Val Camisana bears Celtic inscriptions in Lepontic script dating from the 3rd to 2nd century BC, as well as figures from the 5th century BC. A “sapel” refers to an opening in a dry-stone wall or a retaining wall that made it easier to access steeply sloping potato fields. The white potatoes from Carona were described as “floury and long-lasting” in Italy’s first gastronomic guidebook publication. Potatoes were used to make up for the shortage of flour and to produce bread that would keep for a long time.

For further regional orientation, Selino Basso, Montello, Sarnico, Cassiglio, Rota D'imagna, Almenno San Bartolomeo, Treviglio and Martinengo are also worth considering.

For the broader travel overview: Bergamo.